Skein washing machine



March 27, 1934-. A. G. BAKER 1,952,741

SKEIN WASHING MACHINE Filed March 22, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 In verlior,M c. skew;

March 27, 1934. A, G BAKER I 1,952,741

SKEIN WASHING MACHINE Filed March 22, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- PatentedMar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Amoskeag ManufacturingCompany,

Man-

chester, N. H. jointly as trustees Application March 22, 1932, SerialNo. 600,395

8 Claims. (Cl. 8-19) This invention relates to the treating of skeinedyarns and particularly skeined rayon yarns with liquid re-agents.

It is common where skeined yarns are treated with liquids as in thewashing, bleaching and dyeing thereof to hang the skeins on rolls and toadvance the rolls either in a step by step or in a continuous mannerthrough liquid baths or through showers of suitable liquids, and torotate the rolls so that the skeins thereon are rotated and all portionsthereof are more or less equally subjected to the liquids. If the skeinsare rotated continually in the same direction on a roll it is possiblefor the yarn-to cling to the roll and wind up thereon thereby damagingthe yarn. This is particularly true of fine rayon yarns. Hence an objectof the present invention consists in rotating the skein supporting rollsfirst in one direction and then in the other as the skeins are advancedso that the skeins can not become permanently wound up on the rolls anddamaged.

A further object of the invention is an im-- proved machine for treatingskeined yarns with liquid re-agents, which machine is arranged to 2.5advance the skeins and at the same time to rotate them alternately inopposite directions.

Another object is generally to improve upon skein-handling machines andmethods.

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of a skein washing and bleachingmachine embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail taken along line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of a link of a carrier chain.

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail illustrating particularly the mechanismfor reversing the rotation of the skeins.

Fig. 7 is a detailed side elevation of a modified form of mechanism forreversely rotating the skeins.

The skein washing and bleaching machine embodying the present inventionincludes a pair of spaced horizontal parallel side beams 10 whichsupport parallel tracks 12 that constitute guide ways for the lowerpasses of a pair of skein-advancingchains 14, said chains comprising aplurality of pivotally connected links 16 having depending lugs 18 whichare slidable in grooves 20 of the guide ways 12, see especially Fig. 4.The lugs are provided with inwardly directed pairs of vertical ribs 22which provide channels 24 that are open at the top and the bottom andare adapted to receive the ends of a plurality of skeinsupporting rolls26 which are extended transversely of the guide ways between the chains.Each roll at the same end thereof is provided with a spur gear 28 thatmeshes with the teeth of and rolls on a rack 30 that is secured to oneof the side beams 10 and is extended parallel with the associated chainguide way 12. The other ends of the rollsrest upon and roll freely overa supporting plate 32 that is secured to the other side beam 10 beneaththe rolls.- The two chains pass over sprockets 34 that are fixed to ashaft 36 that is suitably journalled on the side beams and, as hereshown, is rotated in a step by step manner by means including Genevawheels 38 which are fixed to said shaft. Said wheels are intermittentlyadvanced by a continuously rotating shaft 40 that is suitably journalledon the side beams 10 and is driven by a gear 42 that is in mesh with aworm 44 fixed to a continuously rotating drive shaft 46. Said shaft 40is provided with arms 48 having pins 50 that enter the successive radialslots 52 of the Geneva wheels whereby to advance them intermittently inthe usual manner. The shaft 40 is also provided with circular discs 54which engage the peripheral portions of the Genever wheels and hold themagainst rotation in a well known manner except when they are rotated bythe arms 48.

Skeins a are hung from the rolls 26 and are advanced by the chains undera succession of pans 56 or other devices which provide showers ofsuitable reagents through which the skeins are moved, the waste liquidof the showers being caught by tanks 58 that are disposed under the pansand surplus liquid dripping from the skeins in passing from one showerto another falling into troughs 60.

As the chains are advanced the skein-supporting rolls 26, which areengaged with the rack 30, are caused to rotate, the direction ofrotation in the apparatus herein shown being counterclockwise. Therotation of the rolls consequently causes the skeins to rotate and, ifthe rotation were continually in one direction, there would beconsiderable danger that the skeins might wind upon the rolls and becomedamaged.

It is an object of the present invention periodically to rotate theskeins in an opposite direction so as to unwind any skein that maybecome wound upon a roll. The mechanism for reversing the direction ofrotation of the skeins includes spur gears 62 which-are inserted atfrequent intervals along the length of the rack 30 and betweeninterrupted portions or sections thereof, the upper portion of the teethof the gears being in line with the teeth of the rack so that they canmesh with the teeth of the gears 28 of the skein-supporting rolls whensaid rolls are thereabove. Said gears 62 are fixed to shafts 64 that aresuitably journalled in the side beam 10 that carries the rack and aredriven at suitable speed by intermeshinggears 66 and 68 from the driveshaft A6. The gears 62 preferably are so located that they are engagedwith the gears of the skein-supporting rolls at times when the carrierchain is stationary. The position of the gears 62 and their speed ofrotation also preferably is coordinated with [the rate of advance of thechains in such manner that the skeins are rotated equally in oppositedirections, the ad-' vance of the skein-supporting rolls over the rack30 causing the rolls and the skeins to rotate in one direction until therolls are brought into engagement with the gears 62 whereupon the chainsbecome stationary and the gears 62 thereupon rotating the rolls and theskeins in the opposite direction.

The chains automatically pass upwardly out of engagement with the rollsas the chains pass about the sprockets 34 and the rolls roll downinclined guide ways 70 and come into a final position convenient fortheir removal from the machine.

For some purposes it may be convenient or desirable to have the carrierchains 14 advanced in a continuous manner instead of in the intermittentmanner above described. For such a movement of the chains, theskein-supporting rolls may not be in engagement with the reversing gears62 long enough to reversely rotate the skeins the desired amount. Undersuch condition the modified reversing mechanism, illustrated in Fig. 7,can be employed. In this figure the reversing gearing 62 is replaced byan endless chain 72 the links of which have continuous gear teeth ontheir outer faces, which gear teeth are in line with and form in efiecta continuation of the gear teeth of the rack 74, which rack correspondsto the previously described rack 30. The chain 72 is mounted upon adriven sprocket 76 and is passed about an idler sprocket '78. The lengthof the upper pass of the chain 72 and its speed is adapted to be suchthat it rotates the continuously-advancing skein-supporting roll thedesired amount in the desired direction during the time that the rollgear 28 is in engagement with the chain.

I claim:

1. A skein washing machine comprising a supporting roll on which theskeins are hung, a gear fixed to said roll, a stationary rack which isengaged by said gear, apparatus for advancing said roll lengthwise ofsaid rack and for causing said roll to rotate in one direction, meansfor periodically rotating said roll in the opposite direction comprisinggearing located between sections of said rack and adapted to be engagedby the gear of saidroll, and mechanism for moving said gearing in adirection to reversely rotate said roll.

weaver 2. A skein washing machine comprising a supporting roll on whichthe skeins are hung, a gear fixed to said roll, a track on which saidgear is adapted to roll, said track having successive stationary andmoving sections, and mechanism for advancing said roll successively oversaid track and for causing said roll to rotate in one direction on thestationary section of said track sections, said moving track sectionhaving means for moving it in a direction to reversely rotate said roll.

3. A skein washing machine comprising a supporting roll on which theskeins are hung, a gear fixed to said roll, a sectional stationary rack,mechanism for advancing said roll along the length of said rack and forcausing said roll to rotate in engagement with said rack, gears locatedbetween the sections of said rack which are engaged with the gear ofsaid roll at times, and means for rotating said track gears in adirection to reversely rotate said roll.

4. A skein washing machine comprising a supporting roll on which theskeins are hung, a gear fixed to said' roll, a sectional rack, gearinglocated between sections of said rack, mechanism for advancing said rollin a step by step manner in engagement with said rack and for rotatingsaid roll in one direction and also for advancing said roll into theengagement of said gearing and for leaving it for a time against advancein such engagement, and means for rotating said gearing in a directionto reversely rotate said roll.

5. A skein washing machine comprising a supporting roll on which theskeins are hung, a gear fixed to said roll, a sectional rack adapted tomesh with said gear, a gear located between sections of said rack alsoadapted to mesh with said roll gear, mechanism for advancing said rollalong said track and in rolling engagement therewith whereby to rotatesaid roll in one direction and also to move said roll oii' said rack andhold it stationary in driving engagement with said last named gear, andmechanism for rotating said last named gear in a direction to reverselyrotate said roll.

6. A skein washing machine comprising a supporting roll on which theskeins are hung, a gear fixed to said roll, a toothed track. havingsuccessive moving and stationary sections, means to advance said rollover and in engagement with said track and to rotate said roll in onedirection while in engagement with the stationary section of said track,and means to move the moving section of said track in a direction tooppositely rotate said roll.

11 7. A skein washing machine as defined in claim 6 wherein the rolladvancing means advances said roll in a continuous manner.

8. A skein washing machine as defined in claim 6 wherein the rolladvancing means advances the roll in a continuous manner and wherein themoving section of said track comprises an endless chain.

. I anew G. 33.

